Cast of Characters
by spyder-m
Summary: College/University AU. If Jaune doesn't do well on his final History exam he runs the risk of failing the class. Enter Pyrrha: a transfer student from Mistral who he turns to get tutoring from. Arkos oneshot. Team JNPR bro-tping all around.


A/N: Thank god, this story is finished. Whew! I really underestimated just how much material I had for this idea.

This is a college/university AU focusing mainly on Team JNPR in which Jaune is at risk of failing his History class and goes to Pyrrha for tutoring. It's filled to the brim with Arkos and Team JNPR bonding. I would have loved to have included Team RWBY in this story as well (Yang does make an appearance), but, I imagine if I had I probably never would have been able to get it finished. Hopefully, next time. I'm also sorry if transitions between certain scenes appear abrupt. I've been working on this for awhile now and was eager to (finally) get it finished, so I cut some parts out. I may add some more to it later and try to get a smoother flow if I find the time. We'll see.

I've also taken some inspiration from Monty in my writing of Ren for this story. Ren is based on him to a degree after all. It's nothing major, Ren's character is still more or less the same. Just a few things here and there.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy this. I worked hard on it, so I greatly appreciate any reviews/feedback.

* * *

><p><span>Cast of Characters<span>

Jaune stifled a yawn, his pen gripped loosely between his fingertips as he leant back against the stiff, uncomfortable seat in the back row of Beacon University's Main Lecture Hall. His eyes were heavy and his mind blank, much like the pages of the notebook open before him. Stretching his arms out behind his head, Jaune's glanced at his watch. There was still half an hour left to go. He'd made it to his morning lecture bright and early; emphasis on early; but that didn't mean it was going to be a productive one. At this hour, even the frantic pace of Oobleck's speech, wild gestures and rapid movement around the room were not enough to maintain Jaune's attention. He was already having difficult concentrating, and the flurry of information spilling from the man's mouth was far too much for him to follow. Jaune could hardly pull his mind away from thoughts of the soft, warm bed he had begrudgingly abandoned just under an hour ago. How could their professor be so lively on a Friday morning? Was he doing shots of straight coffee behind his desk or something?

It wasn't that he particularly disliked history; he wouldn't have chosen the class otherwise. It just happened to have fallen onto an unfortunate place on his timetable, Friday morning. Any class that cut into time that he could spend sleeping was not going to be well received.

Knowing the last thirty minutes of his lecture weren't going to be spent usefully, Jaune discretely closed his book and gave into the fatigue clawing at him. The fold-out table fixed to his seat didn't offer him much comfort as he rested his head against it but he was willing to improvise. Unzipping his hoodie and folding it under his head in a makeshift pillow, Jaune closed his eyes. He wasn't really concerned about not having notes for his class. There'd probably be a recording of it put up that he could listen to later. Lots of kids fell asleep during class, anyway, and Oobleck rarely noticed. The teacher, so passionate about his craft, seemed too focused on getting out his next sentence.

Jaune had only closed his eyes for a few seconds when something connected sharply with the side of his head, once, twice. He frowned, attempting to ignore it. It was probably just Cardin, or one of his friends, flicking things at him again. It wasn't that bad, just... irritating. They were only doing for it a response. If he didn't say anything, they'd get bored and eventually leave him alone.

Or so he thought.

Despite not offering any form of reaction to the constant prodding at his head, it didn't die down like he had hoped. He'd had no trouble with drowning out Oobleck's voice, or the hushed conversations of those around him, but the sensation only grew incessantly. Jaune grit his teeth, resisting the urge to react and give the perpetrator exactly what they wanted. Growling in frustration, Jaune opened his eyes and glanced to his right, where the projectiles were coming from.

Nora, as bright and lively as ever, smiled innocently at him from a few seats over. She held a crumpled sheet of paper held in her hands, one she'd clearly torn straight from her notebook and had been balling up into small pieces to throw at the side of his head. Ren; who'd been long since to desensitised to Nora's antics and knew that attempting to stop her was futile; continued to look on at Oobleck's lecture. His consciousness was probably thanks only to the Styrofoam coffee cup balanced against the palm of his hand.

"What the hell, Nora?" Jaune's voice broke through the otherwise silent lecture hall, louder than he had intended. He couldn't help it. In his frustration and fatigue, he had momentarily forgotten they were in the middle of class, and reacted the way he usually did when Nora was goofing off. Jaune's words didn't go unnoticed, as several students turned to face him, some startled, others confused.

"Something you'd like to share with the rest of the group, Jaune?"

Jaune barely resisted the urge to jump out of his skin, as Oobleck stopped midway through his sentence to address Jaune's sudden professor had a tendency to appear before students unexpectedly and with impressive speed, startling them. This was something Jaune had realised the hard way after sitting in one of the front rows early on the semester. Considering how often he spaced out during lectures, he'd made a habit of sitting near the back to avoid having it happen again.

"Uh... No professor." Jaune answered, slightly unnerved as he realised that almost everyone else in the room was looking in his direction. "I just, uh... Stubbed my toe."

He could've sworn he heard Nora snort.

"Very well, I'll ask you to save any conversation with your peers for afterwards." Oobleck said, before continuing on with the lecture.

Jaune shot Nora a scowl which did nothing to diminish the cheery smile on her face. Seriously, how in the hell was she so chipper in the morning? She was a constant bundle of energy. Realising his friend probably wasn't going to let him get away with napping in class any more, Jaune slouched back in his seat, attempting to at least find a comfortable position. He probably wouldn't have any notes for this lesson, but maybe Ren would be willing to share his.

In hindsight, Jaune realised how fortunate he to be room mates with Ren. While the young man didn't say a lot, he felt the two had grown close in their time together and, growing up with seven sisters, there hadn't been many people in his life that Jaune had bonded before like a brother. He loved his sisters, but it had definitely made for a nice change. He had shortly realised that, Ren's childhood friend, Nora, was practically joined at his hip and the two were rarely seen without one another. Nora frequently hung out in their apartment and became good friends with Jaune also.

Jaune's phone, rattling against the wooden table, caught his attention moments later. Clasping the device between his hands in an attempt to muffle the noise, Jaune scowled lowly. Unlocking it, and glancing at the screen, he could see the notification flashing, alerting him to the message he had just received.

_'Movie this weekend? The first X-Ray and Vav trailers should be airing on Saturday. :) - Nora'_

Jaune smiled, his frustration momentarily forgotten, as he read the message. He glanced over at Nora who offered him a wink.

He and Nora were both long time followers of the series; Ren was also, although he would never admit it. Heading to the comic book store every week to pick up the latest issues was just habit for them, something engrained into their routine. Upon hearing that the franchise was having a live-action movie based on it almost a year ago the two had both been ecstatic and counted down the days and the hours before they could finally see it on the big screen. Being a connoisseur of the original material, Jaune hoped that this adaptation remained faithful to it. Though, he felt confident he was going to enjoy it either way.

_'You know it!' _Jaune responded, his fingers tapping against the screen of his phone emphatically.

"Alright claas, that will conclude today's lecture. Thank you and I shall see you all next week."

Jaune deftly shut his notebook before cramming it into his backpack. Slinging it over his shoulder, he moved down the row towards to Ren and Nora, who were also packing up their belongings and getting ready to leave.

"What do you guys have next?" He began as they made their way towards the exit.

"Jaune, could I see you for a moment please." Oobleck called from behind his desk, before either of his friends had the chance to his respond.

Jaune furrowed his eyebrows, unsure as to why Oobleck was calling on him. Surely he wasn't going to reprimand him more for interrupting the class? Shrugging, Jaune turned back towards the front of the room.

"You two go on ahead," He told Nora and Ren over his shoulder. "I'll catch up with you later."

Approaching his professor, Jaune noticed him glancing intently over some papers. Jaune stood in silence, waiting for Oobleck to speak. Specifically, to explain why exactly he wanted to see him. Several seconds passed before it dawned on Jaune that Oobleck was unaware that he was standing directly in front of him.

"Professor Oobleck," He said after a moment, attracting the man's attention.

"Ah, Jaune." Oobleck began, adjusting his glasses. "I'm afraid I must speak bluntly with you. I've become concerned with your progress in this course over the past few weeks. Your grade average is... worrying. Your participation in lectures in minimal, in fact, you often appear to have difficulty focusing during them at all. Your last assessment was... not satisfactory."

Jaune swallowed, an unsettling feeling building in his stomach. The class' last assessment had only been handed in a couple of weeks ago, and they were yet to receive grades back. However, it wasn't unlikely that Jaune's assessment had been marked by Oobleck already, considering his last name usually positioned him within the first few people on most class was no denying that Jaune hadn't been incredibly confident in hiswork. In fact, he had been struggling to hand it on time. This hadn't gone unnoticed by Ren, who had offered to help him on a number of occasions. But Jaune had been too proud and too stubborn, too determined to succeed on his own. It was stupid. His friend been looking out for him and trying to help, but he had just shot him down. Now look where that had got him. Jaune had hoped that his best effort would have been enough to earn him an average mark, even for him to pass the course. Apparently, however, that had not been the case.

"Though, fear not, young man. All is not lost." Oobleck's continued, startling Jaune out of his stupor. "You do have an opportunity to turn things around on the final exam. Study, do well and you may be able to . If you do not do well though, you will not be able to pass this course. I would not want to see any one of my students fail. However, given the circumstances, I would not have much other choice. If you are having difficulty with the workload, I would recommend you find someone to assist you in your studies. Perhaps a classmate, or friend of yours."

"I understand," Jaune answered with a nod. "Thank you, professor."

.

"So what did Oobleck want to talk about?" Ren asked, as they walked back to their apartment. He hadn't to worry about catching up with them, as, in spite of what he'd said, Nora and Ren had stayed outside of the lecture hall, waiting for him to be done speaking with Oobleck.

"Apparently I didn't do so well on our last assignment." Jaune sighed, kicking a pebble along the footpath absent-mindedly. "If things continue, I might be flunking his class."

"Heh, no surprises there. You wouldn't be awake for half of his classes if it wasn't for me."

"Yeah, thanks Nora, I appreciate that."

"Nora please, this sounds serious." Ren admonished lightly.

"Sorry," she giggled.

"So, what are you going to do?"

"Make sure Nora brings her laptop to close. That way she can take notes without having paper to throw at me."

"What are you going to do about _passing_ Jaune." Ren reiterated.

"Oh! I- I'm not really sure. Oobleck says I can still pass if I do well on the end exam. I am guess all I can is buckle down as best I as I can."

"We can help you out if need be." Ren offered. "It will lower the amount of work you need to do, and should be a lot healthier for you than staying up the entire night before."

"Like you're one to talk," Jaune smirked, earning a chuckle from Nora and a look of indignation from Ren. Despite only intending to light-heartedly rib his friend, there was no denying that Ren was workaholic, often sacrificing sleep and his own physical well being for the sake of coursework. That is, when he wasn't watching anime or playing Dance Dance Revolution. Jaune didn't think he'd be able to commit to a schedule as rigorous as Ren's.

"Thanks though, I really appreciate the help."

Despite trying to appear as optimistic and carefree as possible, Jaune couldn't deny that he was concerned that he may end up failing Oobleck's class. The news had taken him by surprise. Sure, he admitted that he was by means a model student, but he thought he be doing well enough to get by. But apparently, this was not the case. He had barely scrapped into Beacon by the skin of his teeth in the first place and he didn't want to exasperate his bad reputation further by failing.

He didn't want to be seen as a failure, not any more. He was going to prove his worth and do everything in his power to pass this course.

"Anyway, let's head on back."

"Man, I'm starving."

"You'll make us pancakes, right Ren?"

"Nora, it's almost lunch-time-"

The words faltered on Ren's lips as Nora glanced at him, eyes wide and her lip quivering in a pout. He sighed, knowing that there was no way he was going to

"...Fine."

"You're the best, Ren!" Nora cheered, hugging Ren tightly.

Jaune chuckled softly, as Ren gave in to his childhood friend. For a moment, the worries he had about Oobleck's class and his academic standing, were forgotten momentarily, as he was able to appreciate how fortunate he was. It was a beautiful day, and Jaune was with his friends, happy. As they walked down the path from their last call and through the Quad, he took a moment to watch the other students of Beacon around them, engrossed busily in their own lives.

There were people holding barbeques or selling baked goods to raise money for clubs they were in. Students lying on their backs on the lawn, reading books, cloud gazing, eating lunch. A guy was standing in the middle of the pathway, wearing a fake tail, brandishing a left-wing newspaper and telling passer-bys about some animal rights group called the White Fang. Most walked by him without stopping, listening to music or avoiding eye contact. There were people in groups juggling hacky sacks or footballs between each other, dudes walking around strumming at acoustic guitars; thankfully that was a phase Jaune had already gone through in his freshmen year. As Jaune, Nora and Ren walked along they passed a noticeboard on their way down from the upper part of campus. Normally, Jaune didn't pay much attention to these boards, usually riddled with posters advertising upcoming on campus rallies or gigs and flyers with the phone numbers of people looking for roommates or participants in Psychological experiments. However, on this day, his attention was captured by one notice.

There were a number of flyers put up by students who were holding tutoring sessions for certain subjects, by one in particular proclaimed that Pyrrha Nikos was offering to tutor anyone taking Oobleck's class, World of Remnant, the exact class that Jaune was struggling with.

Pyrrha was a girl around their age who had transferred from one of Beacon's sister colleges in Mistral. Jaune, admittedly, didn't know her, but _he knew of_ her. It was hard not to. She was something of a celebrity, a star athlete and model, gifted with sponsorships and scholarships. He'd never met her in person before, and most of what he'd learnt was word of mouth but he had seen her around campus and she seemed nice enough. The fact that she was helping tutor students only seemed to support this fact, suggesting that she wanted to use her own skills to help benefit and improve others. She wasn't arrogant or boastful, in spite of her reputation. She kept to herself for the most part, and a had an air of maturity to her.

There were always people flocking around her, gazing with awe and admiration, constantly offering praise, showering her with affection. It all... it looked too stifling to Jaune. Pyrrha didn't seem to mind though. Her fame had brought her a lot of popularity and fans, Jaune supposed. She was probably used to the crowds, and more than capable of dealing with them. She had a soft smile and kind word for all of those around Jaune, however, it didn't seem quite as genuine, as he felt she intended it to be. It was strained, forced almost. The smile never quite reached her eyes, which held a different expression entirely. They were vacant, almost sad. Somehow, that was what captured Jaune's attention, his curiosity, more than any accolade attached to her name.

Jaune peeled one of the numbers from the poster, before tucking it away in his wallet carefully. Readjusting the strap on his backpack, he turned and followed after Ren and Nora.

"Hey guys, wait for me!"

.

Jaune pushed open the door to his room, dropping his bag and jacket before closing the door with his foot. He slumped against his bed with a contented sigh. The day was over, at least. Normally, this was time Jaune would be spending reading comics or playing video games, but tonight he had other plans. He was going study, and study harder than he ever had before; which admittedly, wasn't that hard. He really needed to ace this exam.

Reaching for his laptop, Jaune fished out the slip of paper he'd turned from the tutoring flyer earlier and unfolded it. He had decided to take Oobleck's advice and was going to reach out to someone else for help. Normally, getting help was something Jaune would be reluctant to do. There were times when he had a tendency to be stubborn and insecure, wanting to prove himself on his own merits. Though, he didn't have much of a choice now. He couldn't afford to fail.

Her scroll details were listed on the flyer, but Jaune opted instead to send an email. He wasn't exactly the most socially adept guy in the world, after all. This way, he could take his time phrasing his words carefully, without fumbling them or being put on the spot, as he was sometimes privy to when talking over the phone. He could clearly communicate exactly the message he wanted to, no confusion, no slip-ups, no making an ass out of himself and dreading the fact that he was alive.

Win-win situation.

He wrote a brief email introducing himself and expressing interest in the tutoring she was offering. He told her the days he was available, so they could agree on a convenient time to meet up.

Jaune closed his laptop and made sure to leave it on his bed. He didn't need any distractions right now. Grabbing his backpack, he moved to sit at his desk with the intention of doing some solid revision. Retrieving his notebook, he opened it and turned to his notes from the recent lecture.

"Alright Jaune, how about this." He said to himself, eyeing line after line of scrawled dot points. "If you can't buckle down and do the work you need to do to pass this class, you are not allowed to see the X-Ray and Vav movie. What do you think about that?"

"You'll never follow through with that." A voice called dryly from outside of his room.

"Ren! Don't interrupt me when I'm trying to motivate myself!"

"As I was saying: No passing Oobleck's class, no seeing the movie. Got it? Alright, good."

Jaune cracked his knuckles and shock his fingers out vigorously, before grabbing a pen. "Now, let's do this!"

.

It seemed that Jaune had slightly underestimated just how far behind he was on his coursework. Slightly.

He sat, hunched at his desk, his heart beating loudly against his chest as he thumbed through his notebook.

Jaune really wished he had taken the time to go back over and fix his notes after class. Particularly now that he really needed them. They were scrawled in a barely legible print; probably due to Jaune having difficulty writing at a pace that matched the rate at which Oobleck spoke; with several sentences appearing unfinished or disconnected as if Jaune had forgotten his thought midway through writing it. He'd have no chance remembering them now, considering they were from lectures he'd sat through weeks ago.

The words from the page throbbed against his skull as he read them, over and over. Yet, no matter how hard he tried, the information would just not sink in. As Jaune closed his book, he would rack his brain, struggling desperately to recall even one of the points he had read just moments ago, but nothing came to him. With an aggravated growl, Jaune threw his book against the far of wall of his room.

He had been studying for almost an hour now, yet barely seemed to have made any progress. He couldn't understand what was wrong. Why was he having so much difficulty focusing? Jaune was already beginning to react the deal he'd made with himself not long ago. Though, he'd never admit it to Ren. At this rate, he really wasn't going to be able to see this movie! There was just too much that he needed to learn. His hands fisted in his hair, tugging desperately at the strands in frustration.

The sound of his phone vibrated against the wooden surface of his desk drew Jaune away from his work momentarily. Unlocking it, a notification popped onto the screen alerting Jaune that he had a new email. Jaune opened his inbox to find a reply from Pyrrha. It's tone was friendly, if somewhat formal, as Pyrrha introduced herself and told Jaune that she would be happy to tutor him on Monday at one o'clock, as he'd requested. Jaune was surprised. Pyrrha appeared not only willing to help him but looked to be doing everything in her power to accommodate his needs, something that Jaune was truly greatful for.

He released a slow, steady breath as he read the message, allowing some relief to flow through him. He felt as though some of the weight that had been pushing him down had been lifted, and for once, was happy to accept the help that was offered to him. Maybe if he had someone else to work with he'd be able to get passed the issued he'd been having with his studies. He really needed to pass this class, and considering how futile his studying efforts had proved earlier, he didn't want to take his chances alone.

"Jaune?" He looked up from his phone at the sound of Ren's voice.

"I think it might best for you to take a break." Ren said. "You're not going to be able to study well if you become too stressed."

"Yeah, you're probably right. Thanks Ren." Jaune replied, smiling softly. He set his pen down on his desk and raised his arms above his head, stretching out his taut muscles.

"Why don't I call Nora and we got out somewhere? We could play some DDR."

Jaune smirked at the offer. To say that he, Nora and Ren were good at Dance Dance Revolution was putting it lightly. Jaune hadn't met anyone as good as him until he had met Ren and Nora. The trio had been playing for years and held the three highest scores on the leaderboard at their local arcade, constantly attempting to one up each other. At the moment, he believed Ren was holding the coveted number one spot. However, that could change. Jaune got out of his chair, before moving to slip on his shoes.

"Sure, if you're ready to have your ass handed to you."

There was nothing wrong with a little bit of friendly competition.

.

She was a lot prettier up close, Jaune concluded as he glanced through the gap of books he'd made in the History of Vale section. Her hair was tied back, trickling over her shoulders, the loose sleeve of her tank top exposing a toned, pale arm as she held a book loosely in one hand, her green eyes skimming lightly over the pages. She was waiting for him.

Jaune knew that if he hadn't allowed himself a significant amount of time to get to the library he probably would've got lost, or sidetracked, or something, and ended up missing their entire session together. It wasn't his fault that their campus grounds were built like a his haste, however, Jaune had arrived at the library much earlier than they had planned to meet. Almost thirty minutes earlier in fact. Not wanting to appear too... eager, he'd decided to wait for a more appropriate time to make an appearance. Fashionably late, as they said, right? Though, not literally. Jaune didn't want to come across as a jerk who was screwing her around and wasting her time, he wanted to make a good first impression, so that this girl would be happy to help him pass his class. He was just going to wait until the last possible moment to come out without cutting into their time. That way, it might seem like he actually had something resembling a life outside of school and hadn't been hanging out in the library for the last half an hour like a loser.

... Okay, maybe he was over thinking this.

Glancing down at his watch with a sigh, Jaune noticed that it was just a few minutes away from one o'clock, when they'd planned to meet. Slinging one backpack strap over his shoulder and digging his left hand into his pocket, Jaune did his best to appear cool and casual as he stepped out from behind the shelf, his safe haven for the middle of the day. He walked briskly towards the table she'd saved for them, an air of confidence and bravado in his demeanour.

That is, until he tripped over his own foot.

Jaune sprawled against the floor loudly, the impact catching the attention of... well, basically everyone there. Libraries were generally pretty quiet after all, making it hard to drown out the sound of someone eating shit.

"God damnit," he breathed lowly, his fingers rubbing where the carpet had pinched and burnt at his forearm. Pulling himself back up onto his hands and knees, Jaune began to collect the notes and lecture slides he had dropped in his fall, the contents of his bag having spilt everywhere. Hopefully, by some miracle, she hadn't noticed him yet.

"Are you alright?"

Jaune noted the hand extended before him, and glanced upwards to the vivid green eyes boring through him, shimmering with concern.

Spoke too soon.

_C'mon, Jaune! You can still recover from this. Think confident! Think suave!_

"I'm fine. It appears that I've just fallen for you."

_God damnit, Jaune._

"I'm sorry?"

_Well, that backfired._

_No shit it backfired, moron. What the hell was that?_

_Shutupshutupshutup._

"I- It's nothing... Uh, hey. I'm Jaune." He accepted her hand, noting the sheer strength behind her grip as she helped him. Not surprising considering the number of athletic scholarships she was rumoured to have been offered. "I was actually supposed to meet you here for... You know, tutoring."

Jaune's voice lowered slightly as the last few words left his mouth, and he wasn't entirely sure why. Was he embarrassed? So self-conscious of his shortcomings that he felt reluctant to vocalise them, and admit that he needed help? He couldn't tell how obvious the gesture had been, but if Pyrrha had noticed it she didn't mention it.

"Hello! My name is Pyrrha." She greeted warmly. She took a seat and gestured for him to do the same. "I'm glad that you could make it. Shall we get started?"

"O-of course," Jaune answered, sitting across from her. Pyrrha's gratitude came as a surprise to him. He wasn't used to people being so pleased to see him.

"Listen, before we begin. I just want to say how much I appreciate you taking the time to help me. I- I really need to do well on this exam."

"It's my pleasure, Jaune... So, what exactly is that you need help with?"

"Ah, well," Jaune began sheepishly. "All of it, actually. "

"All of it?" Pyrrha asked, surprised.

"I'm sorry. There's just so much to get through. I feel completely overwhelmed by it all."

"It's okay, Jaune, don't worry." She said, placing her hand upon his shoulder in encouragement. "Getting started is often the most difficult part. Once you get over that obstacle, it's often a lot easier."

"Why don't we just start from the top? The oldest material is usually the hardest to recall, seeing as you learnt it so long ago."

"Right, I guess that makes sense."

Jaune was pleasantly surprised to find himself working well under and managing to stay focused under Pyrrha's tutelage. Normally, after half an hour or so of studying alone, he would began to become restless, yet with Pyrrha it was different. He never actually enjoyed himself this much while learning before. He could honestly say he was almost having fun. _Almost. _They were still studying, after all.

Pyrrha appeared to be a natural teacher. She was able to break things down and helped him go through them, piece by piece, alleviating the stress he felt when thinking about the mass of topics he was going to have burn through. She could explain some of the more difficult concepts to him in simpler terms, without coming across as condescending. Though, to be honest, he couldn't honestly imagine Pyrrha being condescending in any context. Even in the brief time that he had spent with her, Jaune could tell that Pyrrha was simply too kind and humble to talk down to someone else.

She guided him through the workload patiently, not chastising him or becoming frustration when he made mistakes, offering soft, encouraging smiles whenever he recalled things correctly.

Jaune could feel light tingles working their way up his spine when he she smiled; her eyes, already so vivid and enchanting, lighting up sincerely. It was so unlike the forced smiles he had seen her wearing in the past.

He was distracted at times, even if only momentarily, by the sight of his studying partner. The slight frown that adorned her face and the wrinkling of her nose whenever stray strands of her hair brushed against it. The melodic sound, rich of her laughter, something he had managed to elicit when playfully celebrating after correctly answering a question. It awed him. To see her smile, her real, honest smile, and know that he was the one who had managed to bring it out of her. She appeared genuinely happy to know that she was helping someone else improve themselves, even if slowly and only slightly. As they carried on through the session, he tried to recall as much information correctly as possible, if only to see that expression cross her face once more.

Though he would never doubt his professor's intelligence or teaching ability, Pyrrha's gentle, clear voice made for a welcome contrast to Oobleck's frantic, babbled speech. Receiving tutelage from her one on one also made for a positive change from lectures, where information was presented to students in large quantities without much time for reflection. This session allowed them to look specifically at areas he was struggling with and work through them at a more diligent pace.

When the two decided to end their session for the day, Jaune found himself feeling a lot more confident about his upcoming exam already. He was glad that he decided to get tutoring. They spent the rest of the afternoon sharing hushed conversation in their corner of the library. After being shushed several times by library staff, the two eventually made their way to a nearby Coffee shop on campus. They sat down together, warming their hands on the Styrofoam cups full of warm liquid as they talked. Jaune spoke fondly of his family, his sisters and his mother's loving advice, his eyes lighting up. He spoke of a great respect and admiration for his father, yet expressed himself with self-deprecation and cynicism. Jaune emanated guilt when describing his own shortcomings in comparison to his father, as if he felt he was not good enough to carry his family's own name. He told her about Nora and Ren, his friends from Oobleck's class.

Pyrrha spoke of travelling from Mistral and having to adjust to the cooler climate of Beacon, as well as her fondness for javelin and fencing. Jaune wanted to ask her more about Mistral, what she felt about her home, or if she missed her family, but at the same time didn't really feel it was his place. They had only just met, and he wasn't sure if she would allow him to cross that boundary just yet. He wasn't entirely sure she would be comfortable with opening up to him over something like that, even in spite of how well they seemed to have gotten along so far. Maybe that was something he could work towards gradually, Jaune mused. There was no point in rushing anything. He had plenty of time.

"Well, it's actually getting kind of late," Jaune said, glancing down at his watch. "I should probably head home. My roommate's probably going to be wondering where I am."

"Oh, of course." Pyrrha said, standing up from her seat. "Don't let me keep you."

Jaune got back to his feet, slipping the strap of his backpack over his shoulder. He helped Pyrrha clearing up their empty coffee cups and other belongings, before pushing their chairs back in under the table. They made their way back the exit together, walking at a leisurely pace.

"So..." Jaune began, stopping alongside Pyrrha and slipping his hands into his pockets. "Same time next week?"

"Certainly Jaune, I look forward to it."

.

Jaune fumbled with the keys to his apartment door, eventually managing to kick it open with his foot. As he entered he noticed that the living room was flooded almost completely by darkness, the only light flickering off of the television screen. Ren was still up, perched on the couch with his back hunched as he played through one of his ludicrously difficult video games. Jaune closed the door behind him, knowing that if it hadn't been for his particularly loud struggle to get in, his roommate probably wouldn't even be aware of his presence, too immersed in the gameplay.

"So where were you tonight?" Ren asked, his eyes not moving from the screen in front of him. His fingers clicked loudly at the buttons of the controller gripped tightly in his hand.

Jaune slumped next to him on the couch with a sigh. He could barely follow the complicated flurry of movements illuminating the screen as Ren's character darted, flipped and dove across it, expertly dodging enemies all the while.

"I met up with someone at the library, today..." He explained. "I'm getting tutoring for Oobleck's class."

Ren didn't reply, but Jaune noticed him nodding out of the corner of his eye. Lounging against comfortably, Jaune found himself feeling tired after his long day of studying with Pyrrha. His eyes heavy and fluttering closed occasionally, in spite of the numerous flashes coming from the television screen. Jaune stretched his arms over his head and yawned, before moving to his feet.

"Well, I think I'm going to hit the hay. Try not too stay up too late this time."

When Ren didn't answer, Jaune shrugged, assuming he was too focused on his game to notice anything had been said.

.

"What are you reading?" Pyrrha asked Jaune, as she set her bag down on the table he had saved for them. Jaune had arrived before her again and had been reading to pass the time. He was holding a thin book in his hands, a bright and colourful one. All she could make out on the back page was an ad for the Schnee Dust company. Was it a magazine?

"Oh, it's nothing." He answered, setting it down. "It's just a dumb comic... I mean, it's not really dumb. It's actually pretty awesome, but-"

"X-Ray and Vav?" She continued, glancing over his shoulder. Words adorned the cover in bold, vibrant font, characters dressed in ridiculous outfits and posing dramatically: hands on their hips, standing tall, their heads raised high. It was something incredibly new and eye-catching to her.

"Yeah," Jaune said, putting the comic aside and taking out his notes.

"Are they super heroes?" Pyrrha asked, curious.

"Kind of," Jaune's drew his answer out, as his hand rubbed at the back of his neck, sheepish. He hoped that if he kept his answers vague enough, the conversation might steer in another direction. He didn't want Pyrrha thinking he was an incredibly lame nerd or something now. He assumed Pyrrha was only asking to be polite and make conversation, because that was just in her nature. She probably wasn't really interested.

"I've never read any comic books before."

"Really?" Jaune's voice cracked sharply. He rapidly clasped a hand over his mouth, wide-eyed as Pyrrha giggled softly into her hand. Jaune cleared his throat before continuing.

"I mean," he said, deliberately speaking in a deeper voice, as if to compensate for slipping up earlier. "I'd be happy to lend you some copies, if you want."

"Oh no, Jaune, please. I do not wish to trouble you."

"You're not troubling me. You're helping me out with History after all, maybe I can teach you a thing or too about comics."

"Here," Jaune said, reaching into his bag and pulling out another comic. He held the issue out to her. "No better place to start than the beginning. I can go over my notes by myself for a bit."

Pyrrha accepted the comic hesitantly, Jaune having to gently push it the rest of the way into her hand, reassuring her it was okay to take. Pyrrha noted the crisp condition the comic was in, despite appearing to be an older issue. She set the book down carefully and turned the first page gingerly, not wanting to crease something Jaune had clearly taking a lot of care of.

It was unlike anything Pyrrha had read. Certainly, she had read plenty of books before and found them a lot of enjoyment in them, but this was different. It was animated and chaotic, the characters jumping out of the page and at her. It was the simpler pleasures that she had not always had the opportunity to indulge in.

She could tell Jaune was improving in his studies. He seemed comfortable looking over and understanding his notes on his own, not needing to stop and have certain concepts or theories explained to him. Pyrrha felt that he had simply been overwhelmed by the vast amount of information that he had to learn and had no idea of where to start. He had simply needed direction and for things to be broken down into smaller, more manageable tasks.

She could tell that once she helped him overcome that problem, he would be able to work at a much more diligent rate. He was smarter than he gave himself credit for. Perhaps note academically, but simple rote learning could only get you so far. Jaune had something more than that.

The two remained sitting and simply read with one another. Not feeling obligated to break the silence that lingered between them but instead content to revel in it. Jaune looked over his notes studiously, the brief time he had intended on studying by himself stretching out to over an hour, as the two lost track of time. Pyrrha, for the first time she could remember in awhile, was able to relax and simply enjoy herself. She indulged in comic that Jaune had given her, enjoying its quirky humour and storyline. She almost felt guilty. This was time she was supposed to help Jaune with his studies, and while he had been working hard, she had hardly been productive.

"Man, it's much later than I thought it was." Jaune said eventually, breaking the silence between them. He raisied his arms above his head and stretched out his upper body, his shoulders popping. "I should probably head back."

"I'm sorry, Jaune," Pyrrha said, setting his comic book aside and looking down, ashamed.

"Why are you apologising?" He asked, genuinely confused. "I actually got a lot done today."

"But I am supposed to be helping you, that's the whole point of these sessions. I can't spend them reading the entire time."

"You have helped me though." Jaune said, as he began grabbing his books and putting them back into his backpack. "I don't know what I would have done if it hadn't been for you."

"But I-," Pyrrha began, only to trail off as Jaune put his hand on her shoulder, squeezing it reassuringly.

"Pyrrha, it's fine, seriously." He said, with a soft smile as he shouldered his backpack. "The last thing you need to do is apologise to me."

"Oh, here," Pyrrha said, realising she still had Jaune's comic, before closing it and moving to hand it back to him. Jaune looked down at the comic momentarily, before shaking his head and waving it away.

"Why don't you keep it for now. I'll get it back from you later. I've read that one even times to practically know it from memory, anyway."

"Thank you, Jaune."

.

"So, uh... I've been thinking."

Pyrrha looked up from her book as Jaune spoke, smiling softly.

"About?" She prodded gently. If there was one thing she'd learnt in her brief time tutoring Jaune, it was that a lot of the time he just needed encouragement.

Jaune's hand kneaded at the back of his own neck, resting there momentarily before he spoke, taking the time with his words.

"You've really been helping me a lot these past few weeks. You've been really patient and kind, I- I couldn't have done any of this without you." Jaune spoke clearly, his eyes not breaking contact from her own. "I really wanted to thank you."

Pyrrha could feel herself blushing at the sincerity of his words.

"Of course, Jaune. I... I'm happy to help you."

"Well, I was wondering," Jaune continued. For some reason, as he spoke, he was finding it increasingly difficult to look Pyrrha in the eye. His cheeks were colouring and he had to make a conscious effort not to fumble his words. He'd never had difficulty speaking with other girls like this before. Somehow, he only felt nervous when around Pyrrha.

"Would you..." He stumbled, swallowing. "Would you like to see a movie this weekend? With me? My treat."

"Oh Jaune, you don't have to do that."

"I know, it's just- I really appreciate everything you've been done for and well... I really don't know how else to put this this. I've really been enjoying the time we've spent together. I like you, I'd like to get to know you better." Jaune said, finally harnessing the strength to make eye contact. His words were genuine and he wanted to express them through his gaze. He really did appreciate Pyrrha. "I got tickets to the _X-Ray and Vav _movie, I thought maybe you'd enjoy it. You seemed to really like those comics I lent you. Besides, I think you deserve to give yourself a break every once in awhile. After all the work we've done, I know I sure as hell need one."

Pyrrha glanced away this time, chewing at her lip. She was definitely blushing now, she could tell from the heat rising over her face.

"You're always looking out for everyone else," Jaune added, in a final attempt to convince her. "When's the last time you thought of yourself?"

Pyrrha could feel her throat tighten, her eyes downcast as tears threatened to well up in them. Jaune faltered, stumbling over his words as he wondered what was wrong, what he could have said to upset Pyrrha. He then felt his breath catch in his throat at the sight of her smile. The true, blinding smile she gave him. He was stunned, any words on his lips, any coherent thought occupying his mind lost by the vision before him.

She was beautiful.

Pryhha was overcome with happiness. She couldn't remembered the last time someone, beyond her own parents, had expressed such care for her. There were no ulterior motives behind Jaune's gesture, no interest in her fame or influence, just concern for her as a human being.

"Pyrhha, are you okay?" Jaune asked, finally having found his voice again.

"Of course I am," Pyrrha replied brightly, wiping at her eyes. "Thank you, Jaune. I'd be delighted to go with you."

"A- Alright, that's great! So when do you, I mean what time should we-"

"Here," Pyrrha said, taking Jaune's wrist in her hand and turning his palm upward. "Why don't I give you my number, so we can talk more about this later." With her free hand, she began writing on it with her pen.

.

_So, I... I may have just got a girl's phone number._

_Sure thing, Ladykiller._

_No, really. I mean, I already had her number because it was on the flyer, but she actually gave it to me herself, this time... I guess I've only ever emailed before, I guess she thought I didn't have it._

_Wait, you're serious? Come on, what girl do you know that's- Oh my god, wait! The girl tutoring you? You guys are dating?_

_It's not a date! At least... I don't think it is. __I'm taking her to see X-Ray and Vav as a way of saying thanks for all her help._

_Oh, so this is serious_. _But what about tomorrow night? We've got tickets to the midnight premier!_

_Go without me, take Ren. __I think I'm going to wait. __No spoilers though! I'm already going to have to boycott the Internet for the next few days._

_I can't promise anything._

.

Pyrrha sighed lowly and stretched out the aching muscles in her limbs, before opening up her locker. After putting herself through a particularly gruelling workout at the gym, she was looking forward to returning home and crashing. Not however, before she treated herself to a cool, refreshing shower. She had hoped the exercise would provide her with a distraction, something mundane to take her mind off of the anxiety plaguing her mind over her outing with Jaune.

However, having trained hard most of her life, the exercises were routine and second nature to her, not requiring a lot of focus. and Pyrrha instead found herself left her alone with her thoughts. Striking at punching bags rapidly, curling barbells, running herself to exhaustion on the treadmill. No matter Pyrrha did she could not, for the life of her, take her mind off of Jaune.

She was feeling a little bit apprehensive about their outing. Considering the relationships that she had had growing up, or lack thereof, she couldn't help it. She liked Jaune, she really did. Someone wanting to spend time with her, for who she was, without having ulterior motives. It was sadly an unfamiliar feeling for Pyrrha and not something she came across too often.

Her thoughts were interrupted, as she heard someone else entering the locker room behind her.

"So Pyrrha, you wanna go clubbing this weekend? I know this place called Junior's-"

Startled, Pyrrha glanced over to the see blonde woman standing across from her, running her hands throw her long, flowing her.

"Oh." She answered. "Thank you, Yang, but I don't think I'll be able to. I'm afraid I have a previous engagement."

Pyrrha immediately glanced straight ahead, avoiding eye contact with Yang completely. Looking into her locker, she pretended to be busy with retrieving her belongings, silently hoping that Yang would be satisfied with her answer and wouldn't probe her any further. Her friend was very intuitive. It wasn't unusual for Pyrrha to decline an offer to go out with Yang. She liked Yang, but didn't particularly share her same fondness for staying out into the early hours of the morning moving from club to club. It was an environment too lively for her liking and Pyrrha would often turn down Yang's offers for this exact reason. This time, however, it was different. This time she actually gave a reason, she actually had another commitment. It wasn't a tutoring session, or interview, or even a photo shoot for some modelling agency, this was a social call.

She was meeting with Jaune.

Pyrrha could Yang's gaze lingering over her shoulder, scrutinising her every movement. Pyrrha It really made her feel uncomfortable.

"Really?" Yang asked, suspicion lacing the tone of her voice.

"Ah, yes. I will be going out with someone- a friend." Pyrrha flinched as she stumbled her words, knowing that momentarily slip-up would give her away.

"A friend?" Yang's continued to repeat, the suspicion evident in her tone.

"Hold up, Pyrrha. Wait just a minute. You're telling me that you, have a date?"

"I never said it was a date!" Pyrrha protested, her voice a harsh whisper. She had almost raised her voice, something uncharacteristic of her, but she caught herself and adjusted. She didn't want to attract the attention of those around them, after all.

"It is with a guy, though?" Yang pressed on, clearly not bothered by the prospect of something overhearing them.

"Well, yes-"

"And you're straight?" Yang interrupted.

"Y-Yang, this is most inappropriate!" Pyrrha faltered, taking a back by the sudden, shameless manner in which Yang asked a rather personal question.

"Hey, we're all friends here. I just want to be clear."

"I think that answers my question." "This certainly sounds like a date to me, Pyrhha. Good for you."

Pyrrha closed her eyes and exhaled deeply, trying to compose herself. There was no point in becoming upset with her friend. Yang was just teasing her, she didn't mean anything personal by it.

"Thank you, Yang, but I must insist-"

"You know, I hear that movie has Gavin and Ray from the Achieve Men in it, I may wind up tagging along with you guys."

The mere suggestion caused Pyrrha to send Yang a glare, a gesture usually reserved for sparring opponents or very rare instances in which Pyrrha was genuinely irritated by something.

"Wow, okay, that was terrifying. Don't worry, I'm kidding! I won't do anything to ruin your little date."

"I'm sorry, Yang. I don't mean to overreact."

"No, no, I understand. I wouldn't want to step on any toes. You kids have fun, let me know it turns out."

.

_Okay man, be cool. You've got this. No big deal. You're just going to see a movie together. You've hung out with girls all the time. Like... your sisters, and Nora... and your mom. See, that's like nine people! Nothing worth stressing out over._

Jaune stood in the of the bathroom mirror, his hand raking deftly through the mess of blonde locks strewn upon his head, beads of moisture still clinging to them from the shower he'd taken earlier. His attempts to calm the anxieties plaguing his mind had proved futile so far, as he continued to entertain every possible scenario in which something could potentially go wrong tonight.

Pyrhha probably didn't even think of this as a date, and she shouldn't, because it wasn't. They were just hanging out. They'd only ever spent time together in the library studying before, and after all their hard work they deserved to do something fun. That's all this was, a break from the routine. He didn't want to weird her out by bumbling awkwardly around her... more so than usual, anyway.

Jaune's fingers fumbled with the top button of his shirt, fastening it in place. He was normally more of a jeans and a tee shirt kind of guy, but felt it was fair to make something of an effort tonight. He paused, glancing at his reflection with a frown. The top button didn't look right. It was kind of uncomfortable too. It cut painfully against his throat and cut off his air supply slightly. Taking a deep breath and attempting to steady his hands, he did the button up again. His lips caught in between his teeth and he scratched at the back his head, before undoing it once more.

"Reeeen," Jaune's voice carried into the other room. "I have a problem."

A low, impassive grunt was all Ren offered in response, not communicating much in the way of sympathy or even concern. Jaune scowled. He was probably off in the other room reading or something, only half-listening to what Jaune was saying. Jaune decided to continue, whether Ren paid attention or not.

"You're better with this stuff than I am: should I do up the top button on my shirt or not?"

"What difference does it make?" Ren sighed. Jaune could've sworn he heard the sound of a book snapping shut.

"It's important, I want to make a good impression!" Jaune exclaimed. "I never wear dress shirts, how should I know?!"

"Someone's nervous," Nora suddenly chimed in from the door-way to the bathroom, sing-song.

"Nora?" Jaune asked, glancing over his shoulder. "What are you doing here?"

"Tonight's your big date night so I came over to keep Ren company while you were out."

"Aren't you usually here anyway?"

"It's not a date!"

"Then why are you shaking so much, and talking to yourself in front of a mirror?" Nora teased, moving closer to glance over his pale, panic stricken face. "You look like you've seen an Ursa! "

"I just want Pyrrha to know that I care about this." Jaune sighed, completely unbuttoning his shirt and tossing it aside in frustration. "What if she makes a massive effort? What if she does her hair and plans out the perfect outfit? If I just show up wearing a hoodie, I'll feel like a jerk."

"Jaune, you don't have anything to prove. If she's agreed to spend time with you, you were obviously doing something right. I can't imagine what though. I mean, no offense, but you don't exactly flourish in social situations, and I didn't really think you're as charming as you think you are. You must've really lucked out with this girl! Maybe she has a thing for weedy, socially awkward dorks?"

"Nora." Ren interjected, feeling the need to stop Nora before she got too off track.

"Oh right, sorry."

"Jaune, Pyrhha likes you for who you are. Just be you. If you do that, everything should work out fine. That means wearing hoodies and acid-wash jeans-"

"Hey! Those were in when I bought them!"

"You'll do fine, trust me." Nora continued, taking his arm and leading him out of the bathroom. "There's no way I'm letting you scare this girl off before Ren and I get the chance to meet her."

"Now knock 'em dead, tiger." She exclaimed, turning Jaune towards the front door and slapping him across the butt. Jaune eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"Has she been hanging out with Coco or something?"

Ren shrugged and turned another page.

.

"And I can't believe Vav got trapped in The Mad King's hole that easily." Jaune gesticulated wildly, throwing his arms about as he spoke as if to punctuate his irritation. "In the comic, he was the only who could beat Edgar. I can't believe- Oh, sorry... This probably isn't very interesting, huh?"

"No Jaune, it's fine."

Twilight was just blooming as the two left the movie. Jaune was surprised to see that the cinema and their session had still being quite packed out despite the opening being a few days ago. Thankfully, he and Pyrrha had arrived early enough to score a decent seat in the middle of the theatre, not too close to the front.

He had really wanted to pay attention to the movie more. Really, he had. But he had been distracted. Every so often he would glance from the screen to Pyrrha's hand, resting on the arm rest. He had wanted nothing more than to hold her hand, even if for just a second, but he couldn't work up the courage. He was probably going to have see the movie again.

"Anyway, enough about what I thought. Did you like the movie?" Jaune asked, as he moved to toss his half-eaten bucket of popcorn into a nearby bin on their way out. Pyrrha, who was a little more health conscious, had opted not to have any. Even in spite of Jaune's insistence that it was his treat.

"There were times where I couldn't quite follow what was happening, but I still enjoyed myself. It's nice to spend time with someone else for a change." She answered. "I'm so far from home and this is still a strange city to me. I don't feel like I have many friends here."

"Really?" Jaune asked. "Sorry, it's just... Whenever I saw you on campus you were always around other people, smiling and laughing. You seemed popular to me."

"There are a lot of people who know my of achievements, but unfortunately, not many that know... well, me. I'm happy to have you as a friend, Jaune."

"Well, I sure as hell feel sorry for those people then. They really don't know what they are missing out on. Maybe if they say what I saw, they would realise just how amazing Pyrrha Nikos is, and how much more she is than her scholarships, or tournament wins."

"Thank you for tonight, Pyrrha. It really helped me relax and take my mind off of Friday."

Certainly Pyrrha was talented, that was putting it lightly. But she was so much more than her achievements. There were so many other qualities about her that were admirable, that had drawn Jaune to her. She was modest, in spite of her achievements. She didn't see herself as better, or above anyone else and utilised the skills she possessed in order to help others. She was kind, selfless, the textbook definition of a good Samaritan. She was cheerful, easily smiling and offering words of encouragement, regardless of how down she might have felt herself. She was patient, and always looked for the best in others, no matter how helpless they seemed. Jaune had seen her put herself before others, himself included, so many times before. She deserved to think about herself for a change, she deserved to be selfish.

It had always bothered him. Why did that girl who was genuine and kind-hearted, look so dejected? Why did that smile never reach her eyes? Despite being surrounding by so many people in her life, Pyrrha was lonely. She was elevated, out of reach on another plain. Since she had gone out of her way to help him, Jaune felt compelled to return the favour.

"Well, it's still early." Jaune began, glancing at his watch briefly. "Want to come back to my place?"

"I'm sorry?"

"Oh! No, I didn't mean it like that!" Jaune exclaimed, waving his arms frantically. "I just thought, maybe you'd like to meet some friends of mine. I'm sure they'll still be up and eager to meet you. I... I've told them a bit about your already."

"Oh," Pyrrha answered, flushing slightly as she considered the implication of her words. "Thank you Jaune, I would like that."

"Alright, great. Let me show you the way." Jaune hesitated, before extending his hand out to her. He realised that if he didn't at least make the gesture, he was going to regret it for the rest of the night. The curiosity was already becoming too much for him to bare.

Fortunately, Pyrrha accepted his hand quickly and with a soft smile. It was one Jaune couldn't help but return despite the unusual fluttering he felt in his stomach. Showing Pyrrha the way to his place had made for a good excuse to hold her hand, though he was fairly confident she saw his ulterior motive.

His hand already felt like it was starting to sweat.

Pyrrha couldn't help but notice Jaune resembling the heroes that he spoke about with such passion and enthusiasm. Vav, someone often underestimated, written of as being useless or dumb-witted, but actually a lot more intelligent than given credit for. Jaune was well aware that he had short-comings, just like anyone else, yet he was prepared to make conscious efforts to change them. He had swallowed his pride and asked for help, realising that he didn't have to bare the burden of those short-comings along. It was easy to point a finger at someone else and expose their flaws, but a lot more difficult to identify and admit to the ones that lie in yourself. It was not a fault to make mistakes, to be was one of the things she admired most about Jaune. His tenacity, his drive to show others something much more than what they saw in him. Perhaps this was why the series had been something that had captured her attention quickly and easily. Jaune had introduced to the series, a medium of entertainment she had never experienced before, similar to how, through him, she had finally been able to interact and befriend someone else as herself, a regular girl, not someone placed on a pedestal.

A lot of people hadn't had the chance to get to know Jaune like she had, or even had the patience to try. She supposed she'd been gifted, in that sense. If she'd been more judgemental, more easily aggravated, maybe she wouldn't have gotten to know him in such a capacity. If she was any other person, maybe she would have given up on trying to help him.

.

"And then that was when Jaune threw up over the edge of the Airship!"

"N-Nora! You promised you wouldn't tell anyone that story."

Pyrrha laughed softly into her hand, as Jaune's friend had taken it upon herself to regale the rest of the group, mainly Pyrrha, with particularly embarrassing stories about Jaune, much to his displeasure. He appeared to burying himself deep into the couch, doing his best to hide as much of himself from sight as possible amongst the cushions adorning it.

"Alright Nora," Ren said, deciding that Jaune had taken enough ridicule for the night; despite the grin pulling at his lips. "We should probably get you home."

"Aww, but Pyrrha just got here."

"There'll be another time, I'm sure." Ren answered. He then leant in closer to Nora, lowering his voice, "I think perhaps, Jaune and Pyrrha would like a moment alone together."

"Like, together-together?" She asked, her voice not matching the more discrete volume Ren's had taken. Jaune glanced over at Ren and Norafrom his hiding spot on the couch; his suspicion of their conversation reflected in his eyes.

"Come on, Nora. Let's go," Ren said abruptly, taking her hand and coaxing her gently through the front door.

"I'll be back later, Jaune. It was nice meeting you, Pyrrha." Ren called over his shoulder, as he made his way out.

"Good night Pyrrha, good night vomit boy," Nora waved with a giggle.

"Good night Nora, Ren. It was nice meeting you too."

"God damnit Nora!"

The door closed before Jaune could finish his retort.

"Your friends certainly are... eccentric." Pyrrha said, turning back to Jaune with a smile. "I can see why you like them."

"Oh yeah, they're real characters, alright." Jaune replied, rolling his eyes. "They're great, though really. They've always look out for me."

"It certainly seems that way."

The silence that followed was heavy, with Jaune certain that his discomfort was noticeable. There was a lot he wanted to say to Pyrrha, but couldn't harness the courage to speak out loud. Every so often he would catch himself, mid-sentence, the words dying on his lips. He swallowed as he could feel Pyrrha gazing at him expectantly, curious, waiting for him to continue.

While Jaune appreciated Ren leaving him and Pyrrha alone; and to salvage what had been left of his ego by Nora, there was a small, more cowardly part of him that wished they had stayed. Jaune felt much more comfortable and outgoing around Nora and Ren. He was certainly much more sociable He'd felt that being with them had provided him with a sense of support and allowed him to act like himself around Pyrrha, without feeling self-conscious. Now that they were gone however he was left alone with his feelings and an overwhelming need to confront them. He was pulled back to square one, to being nervous and hesitant around her.

"Look Pyrrha, I..." He began, his hand tracing absent minded patterns against the material of the couch as he looked down. "I really don't want this to be it between us."

"What do you mean, Jaune?"

Clencing his fist, and steeling his resolve, Jaune sighed as he forced himself to look up at her. He couldn't shy away anymore.

"Classes are finishing for the semester, my exam is on Monday. I'm... I'm not going to need tutoring from you any more. But I don't want to stop spending time with you."

Jaune took solace in noticing that this news appeared to upset Pyrrha just as much as he. Pyrrha had enjoyed the time they'd spent together also.

"I'm sure we'll still see each other around campus."

"No. No, I'm sorry, but that won't be enough for me."

"What do you mean?"

He realised that he had been moving closer to Pyrrha as he spoke. An action he made slowly, unconsciously, wanting to alleviate the space that existed between them. Not trusting himself to answer he question sufficiently with words, Jaune surrendered to impulse, just for a moment. His hand reached out and cupped Pyrrha's face gently, turning her to look towards him.

His entire body came alive, seconds later, his stomach lurching and the blood rushing to his face as he realised exactly what he had done. In that simple gesture, he had ventured further than he'd ever dared to imagine, risked more than he ever would dare to in a completely rational frame of mind. Jaune could see Pyrrha's eyes wide with surprise, her mouth gaping open in shock. He tensed his body, awaiting her reaction, fearing the worst. Had he overstepped his boundaries? Would she be mad at him? Raise her voice? He could possibly imagine Pyrrha yelling, it just seemed so unlike her.

Certainly, there could be no denying his attraction to Pyrrha now. It was out there. Completely, unambiguously out there. There was no turning back now. Pyrrha hadn't shown any signs of protest, something Jaune took as silent encouragement. Swallowing, he decided that he may as well press on further.

"Jaune?"

It was a decision he came to quickly, but not one made lightly. In all honestly, it was something that had been burning at the back of his mind for awhile now.

Jaune's lips found Pyrrha's own clumsily, as he braced her body within his arms. To his surprise, and his silent joy, she didn't push him away, but instead responded in kind. As the kiss continued, Jaune allowed his instinct to guide him, finding more of a rhythm and confidence as he felt Pyrrha's lips moving against his on. Silently, she encouraged him, just as she had for several weeks past. Pyrrha saw potential in Jaune, that he himself was unaware of, and slowly, patiently would seek out. He would never have imagined that the real, raw sensation of kissing her would live up to what he had constructed in his mind, but it was an entirely different level. Her lips were soft, her scent intoxicating. Heat flowed over his body wherever their skin touched and Jaune felt the overwhelming need to pull it closer, to expose himself to more of that intense contact.

His arms surrounded Pyrrha, pulling her to him. He drew breath in harshly though his teeth as the weight of her body fell against his won, her breasts brushing against his chest, the strength of her warm, muscular arms holding him. Jaune threaded his fingers through her Pyrrha's soft hair, as her hands framed each side of his face. She mewled softly, her cheeks flushed as Jaune moved to tease the skin of her lip. He smirked slightly, taking satisfaction as he saw the calm, demeanour so typical of Pyrrha slipping away. Sighing contentedly as their lips pulled apart, Jaune rested his forehead against his own. He gulped in air deeply, his heart rate erratic as he caught his breath. He could see Pyrrha smiling shyly at him as they looked into each other's eyes.

"I still have a lot to learn, you know."

"Yeah, me too."

.

It was getting late when Ren got back. Needles to say, coaxing Nora into going home had been about as easy as it usually was. He'd had to make several promises to her that yes they would spent more time together and that he was sure Jaune's new friend would be around again sometime soon. He really hoped Jaune didn't mess this up, otherwise he was going to have a lot of explaining to do to Nora.

Opening the door to his apartment, he was surprised to find Jaune awake, sitting up on the exact same spot on the couch he'd been on when Ren had left. His cheeks were tinged pink and his fingertips brushing against his lips as he gazed ahead vacantly, his mind wandering.

"Hey," Ren said simply, pulling his keys from the now locked door and closing it behind him rather forcefully.

Jaune jumped at the sound, startled, but calmed down when he noticed that it was only his roommate.

"Oh. Hey." He replied.

"So, how'd it go?" Ren wasn't normally one to pry, but his friend's current state had him curious. What exactly had happened between Jaune and Pyrrha while he was gone? The colour returned to Jaune's cheeks and he smiled as his gaze moved to the wall in front of him once more.

"Pyrrha has really soft lips." He stated dreamily.

"Goodnight Jaune." Ren smirked, heading into his own room and closing the door.

.

Friday morning was still an awful time to have a class, let alone a class in which there would be an exam. It was the last week of semester for most and classes were wrapping up. People were anxiously counting the hours left before they could ran off to the beach, or mall, or even the nearest bar to celebrate, or drown their sorrows.

Jaune, on other hand, had a lot more on his mind. He wasn't dreaming ahead to weeks of lounging around his home, reading comics or spending time with friends, as was usual for him around this time of year. He couldn't allow himself to become distracting by thoughts of returning home for the holidays to see his sisters and parents. The only thing he wasn't concerned about was finishing this test. Then, and only then; well, only after he definitely knows he's passed; would he be able to relax.

Jaunce glanced quickly at his watch, noting that it was just a few minutes past nine o'clock. The test would begin at five past. He couldn't bare to wait any longer, the anticipation was torturing him. He just wanted to get it over and done with. Jaune twirled his pen between his fingertips, occasionally catching it in his hand and clicking it before starting over. He could hear Ren's sighs growing louder each time he repeated the motion. Jaune couldn't help it, the movement was almost unconscious. He had always been one to fidget, particularly when feeling anxious or impatient. Nora laughed softly and squeezed Ren's shoulder knowing, the gesture silently asking him to let it slide. She could tell Jaune was nervous.

Jaune stopped suddenly when he noticed Oobleck straightening out a large stack of papers at the front of the room, blank exam booklets. He began moving up and down the rows of seats, handing one to each student.

"Now class, please remember to make sure all mobile phones are switched off prior to the beginning of this exam. Once you receive an exam booklet you may write your name and student number on the outside but do not open it. Failure to follow these instructions will result in failure."

Jaune reached into his pocket and fished out his phone, remembering that it was still on. Just as his finger covered the power button and moved to press it down, he noticed a message displayed on the screen, one he had received moments ago.

_Good luck today. You'll do fine, I know you will. - Pyrrha_

Jaune smiled softly as Pyrrha's message eased his nerves temporarily. He was amazed by the effect that she had upon him, even when she wasn't directly in his presence. The simplest gesture or words of encouragement from her were enough to lift his spirits.

She was right, though. There was no point in worrying, or freezing up in trepidation now. He had studied as best as he could and with Pyrrha's help over the past few weeks he was more than confident that he could pass. He wasn't going to use every second of exam time to the best of his abilities.

"Alright class, once you have received your exam paper you may began." Oobleck stated, catching Jaune's gaze and holding it. "Good luck."

Jaune closed his eyes and exhaled slowly, allowing the action to calm him momentarily before he turned his paper over.

.

"Freeeeeeedom," Nora cheered, as she raised out of the lecture hall, their exam having finally finished. Ren trailed after Nora, calling her name and telling her to calm down, but his protests fell on deaf ears.

Jaune smiled softly as he watched his friends, finally allowing himself to relax, and breathe a sigh of relief for the first time in awhile. It was over. The exam that he had been fretting over and preparing for, the impending day that had been plaguing his thoughts for the past few weeks. He'd made it through and everything was alright. He'd felt confident

"Pyrhha, what are you doing here?"

"I wanted to be here for you after your exam.

Pulling him into her arms. After almost two hours of writing essays and short answer questions, Jaune blissfully accepted the embrace. Her body was warm, her hair an intoxicating scent. The comfort she offered was exactly what he needed to unwind.

"So, how did it go?" Pyrrha's voice feathered softly over his ear.

"Everything was fine. I could recall everything we looked over without too much difficulty and feel pretty confident in all my answers."

"So, do you think did well enough to pass?"

"Yeah, I actually do."

"That's fantastic, Jaune!" Pyrrha exclaimed happily, pulling him back into a tight hug.

Jaune pulled away from Pyrrha's embrace momentarily, his eyes catching her own, revelling in their brightness. There it was. The light, the genuine happiness that he had been hoping to find in them from the first time he had seen her. This amazing, selfless woman, who had believed in him so firmly, was now gushing with pride and happiness over what he had achieved. It paled in comparison to any of her accomplishments, but that didn't matter to her.

Taking Pyrrha's hands in his own, Jaune pressed his lips against hers in a short, chaste kiss.

"Thank you for coming to see me," He whispered gently. "This is just what I needed."

"Pyrrha!" Nora called, running over excitedly as she noticed her new friend. She jumped in to join Jaune and Pyrrha's embrace.

"Hello Nora," Pyrrha smiled warmly. "You seem to be happy with finishing class, as well."

"Yep," Nora nodded. She furrowed her eyebrows slightly in confusion when she noticed the intimate way Jaune and Pyrrha were holding each other.

"So are you two together-together now, or..."

"Nora, please," Ren panted, appearing from behind her with a hand clutched at his chest. "What have I told you about running off like that?"

"Sorry Ren," Nora replied with a giggle.

"Hey, so now that we're down with classes for this semester, why don't we spent some quality time together? Jaune suggested, pulling Ren closer and putting his arms around his friends.

"Hey Jaune, you know what's still showing at the movies, right?" Nora asked, raising her eyebrow.

"I sure do!"

"X-Raaaay", Nora began.

"And Vav!" Jaune joined in.

Pyrrha watched the childlike excitement of Nora and Ren as they ran off together, calling after their friends to follow them. Ren sighed, exasperatedly, before trudging after them at a slow pace. Pyrhha couldn't but feel her lips pull up into a smile at the sight.

A smile that came to her so much more easily now.

* * *

><p>AN: After seeing "Dance, Dance Infiltration" I have no doubt that Team JNPR regularly play DDR (or the Remnant equivalent to it) together and it gets quite competitive. Ren wins more often than not, but his teammates give him a run for his money.

Anyway, I hope you guys liked this! Let me know what you think. Cheers.


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